Independent needle knitting machine



Sept. 6, 1938. A. E. PAGE 2,129,148

INDEPENDENT NEEDLE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 LF'II LT H [T 73 INVENTOR ALBERT E. PAGE BY HIS ATTORNEYS se i. 6, 1938.

A. E. PAGE 2,129,148

INDEPENDENT NEEDLE KNITT ING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ALBERT E. PAGE BY HIS ATTORNEYS MMJM Sept. 6, 1938. v A. E. PAGE 7 2,129,148

INDEPENDENT NEEDLE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1937, 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 g 7 T 75 m\ \wfk I %d4 Ti '7 M i .i

44 22 30 X6 I a H c I a w a VINVENTOR BY HIS ATTORNEYS ALBERT E. PAGE Sept. s, 1938. A. E. PAGE 2,129,148

INDEPENDENT NEEDLE KNITTING MACHINE Filed 001;. 12, 1957 6 SheetSSheet 4 TUCK 8. FLOAT FEED-4 ALBERT. E. PAGE BY HIS ATTORNEYS FEED-1. I I MM INVENTOR Sept. 6, 1938. A. E. PAGE I INDEPENDENT NEEDLE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 TUCK & PLAIN FEED-5 INVENTOR ALBERT E. PAGE BY HIS ATTORNEYS Sept. 6, 1938. A. E.. PAGE 2,129,148

INDEPENDENT NEEDLE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1957 e Sheets-Sheet e FEED-5 FLOAT & PLAIN FEED-1 INVENTOR 3.9 ALBERT E. PAGE BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 6, 1938 PATENT, OFFICE INDEPENDENT NEEDLE KNITTING MACHINE Albert E. Page, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Scott & Williams, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 12, 1937, Serial No. 168,645

8 Claims.

This inventionlelates to independent needle knitting machines, and more specifically to a machine adapted to make patterned fabric by stitch variation. One of the objects of the invention is to produce a simplified mechanism for knitting patterned fabric such as underwear or outerwear. Another object is to produce a simplified "memory device for a multi-feed circular knitting machine. It is characteristic of the invention that the needles have sliding butts which are used to give selectivity.

This application contains claims directed to the needle in combination with certain other features, while the needle alone is claimed in my divisional application Serial No. 202,559, filed April 16, 1938.

While the invention will be shown and described embodied in a multi-feed, independent latch needle, circular, rib knitting machine, it

Fig. '1 is a simplified front elevation of a multifeed, independent needle, rib knitting machine, in which the present invention has been embodied in the dial;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation from the right side of the machine, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4,,showing in detail the mechanism for moving certain of the dial cams to and from plain knitting position when making a tuck and float stitch pattern, such as shown in Fig. 12;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale, showing the manner in which the sliding butt is mounted in the needle;

'Fig. 4 is a plan view of a section of the sliding control ring for moving the dial needle cams of Figs. 2 and 12;

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of an electromechanical hammer suitable for selecting the sliding butts of the needles;

Figs. 6 to 10 are views in vertical section through the outeredge of the dial, taken on the lines 8-45, etc. of Fig. 12; Fig. 6 showing the dial needle in selecting position just after the sliding butt has been pushed down by the selecting hammen-Fig. '7 showing a selected needle projected to tuck position to take yarn, the dotted position of the sliding butt illustrating its position when not selected; Fig. 8 showing how the needles whose sliding butts have not been pushed down are pulled radially inward to miss the yarn after all the dial needles held the fabric down as the cylinder needles rose Fig. 9 showing the selected needles at the knocking-over point; and Fig. 10 showing a selected needle pushed out to its clearing position with its sliding butt cammed upwardly by the edge of the groove in the dial;

Fig. 11 isa development of the cylinder needle knitting cams for one feed of the machine, this feed corresponding to the feed marked 6 l in Fig. 12; r

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the dial cams and needles for some of the feeds of the machine of Fig. 1 when that machine is adjusted to make 'tuck and float stitch patterns; the illustrative Fig. 15 is a plan view similar to Figs. 12 and.

13, showing dial cams and needles of the machine when adjusted to make a float and plain pattern;

Fig. 16 is a view in radial vertical section through a modified form of means of selecting needle butts, the selecting being done by a trick wheel; a

Fig. 17 is a view in elevation looking radially inward, with the edge of the dial cut oil, showing a detail of the operation of the trick wheel of the modification of Fig. 16, the arrows representing the direction of movement of the dial and. the trick wheel and gear; while Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the sliding butt needle.

One of the problems in the modern knitting machine, and particularly the multi-feed circular knitting machine, is to find room for all the patterning mechanism which is necessary to produce the desired fabric. One general type of mechanismfor accomplishing this end is the socalled memory device, in which selecting means are not required at a following feed in order to change the stitch there. The present invention is shown embodied in a memory device, but it should be understood that, broadly speakingand particularly with reference to the needle itself--the invention is not limited. to this particular class of device. The present invention has the great advantage of simplicity in that the selecting means are enabled to act directly on the needle without the intervention .of jacks or other elements. In the drawings the invention is shown embodied in the dial and dial needles of a revolving needle cylinder, multi-feed, underwear machine. chine with the variations in the rib stitches at the first, second, third, fifth, sixth andseventh feeds. While the manipulation of the dial needle hook from one feed to another is varied by having two butts on each needle, it should be understood that a. certain amount of patterning is obtainable in accordance with this invention with only one butt on each needle.

Referring now to the drawings, the needle l9 which is shown in Fig. 18 has the usual hook 20 with a pivoted latch 2| and a shank 22. Intermediate the length of the shank is a low operat- 7 ing butt 23 projecting laterally from the shank in the plane of the hook. As the needle lies in the dial with its hook turned upwardly, the fixed butt also lies on the upper side. This butt is of considerable width in order that the novel butt to be described may project through it. The dial 24 has slots 25 to receive the needles. ;The low fixed butts 23 project above the slots 25 of the dial, as shown in Fig. 17. In the embodiment shown in the drawings this fixed or low butt on the needle is so associated with operating cam paths as to manipulate the needle for the making of plain stitches. It can, of course, be located at any desired point along the length of the shank.

I The novel needle has a vertically movable high butt 26 adapted to slide vertically in a slot 21 cut in one side of the shank of the needle. Preferably this slot is cut in the low butt 23 because of the simplification of the operating cam paths which is obtained. The slot is equal in thickness to only half the thickness of the shank, as can be seen in Figs. 3 and 18. The sliding butt 26 can be mounted in the shank in a frictioned manner. In the drawings the frictioning means shown comprise a small spring finger 2B riveted to one side of the low butt 23, overlying the slot and pressing against the sliding butt, as shown for instance in Figs. 3 and 18. The two corners of the upper end of the sliding butt 26 may be cut square, but the lower end is preferably rounded,

The length of the butt is such that it may project below the shank of the needle or above the low butt of the needle. When it is projected above the low butt, it is adapted, in cooperation with certain cams to be described, to cause special manipulation of the needle It has been found possible to cause all the necessary movements of the sliding butt without rocking the needle or otherwise disturbing its longitudinal or knitting operation. While the sliding butt is moved downwardly by the selecting means, it is moved upwardly automatically by the particular shape and form of the dial taken in connection with the longitudinal movement of the needle. To achieve this, a groove or depression 29 is cut in the dial 24, as shown for instance in Figs. 6 to 10, this depression or groove 29 being adapted to underlie the butts 26 except when the needle is in extreme clearing position. As can be seen in Fig. 9, .the inner edge of this groove 29, which extends all the way around the upper face of the dial, is such a distance from the center of the machine that when a needle is completely retracted the depression is still underneath the sliding butt. The depression is of such The machine is a rib maand 8.

a depth that when the sliding butt is pushed downwardly till its upper end is flush with the top of the low butt, the lower or rounded'end of the sliding butt will not contact with the bottom of the depression (see Fig. 9). As mentioned above, the pushing upwardly of the sliding butt is obtained automatically without reference to the selecting means, by pushing the needle radially outward and causing the sliding butt to ride up the bevelled outer edge 30 of the groove to the position shown in Fig. 10. By the time the sliding butt has climbed out of the groove, as shown in this figure, the needle has been extended to the point where it is clear of the loops which were in the hook. Since the sliding butt is frictioned, it will stay in that uppermost position unless and until it is depressed by some selecting means at a subsequent feed.

The knitting cams for operating on the low butt 23 of the needle will be described next. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 12, 13 and 14, there have been shown, respectively, cam paths adapted to make tuck and float patterns, tuck and plain patterns, and float and plain patterns. These various species of patterning are made to occur at three feeds followed by a fourth feed at which all needles knit plain stitches, i. e., knit off the tucks.

I will first describe the cams and. needle movements in Fig. 15 where the pattern feeds make float or plain stitches according to the selection made among the high or sliding butts by the selecting mechanism. In Figs. 12, 13 and 15, the dial knitting or knocking-over cams are designated by the numeral 3| at each feed, six such cams being shown at Fig. 15, out of the eight in the machine. In Fig. 15 only one clearing cam is shown in its entirety, this being the cam desigond knitting cam counting from the top of the drawing in a clockwise direction. The counterclockwise arrow at the top of this figure indicates the direction of movement of the needles through the cams, and this figure will serve as an explanation of either a stationary needle cylinder or a stationary dial machine. The knitting cams 3| immediately succeeding the two clearing cams 32 in a counterclockwise. direction therefore are the knitting points for the plain feeds. In the following explanation of the operation of the ma-' chine, these plain feeds will be designated as 4 The feeds immediately following them in a counterclockwise or knitting direction will be, designated as 5 and 6, respectively. When a dial needle is pushed all the way out to clear position by one of the clearing cams 32 at feed 4 or 8, it assumes the position shown in Fig. 10. It will be noted that it reaches this position by virtue of the low or fixed butt 23 and not the high butt 26.

The sequence of movement of the needles in Fig. 15 will now be followed, beginning immediately after the needles leave the knitting cam 3| at feed 8 at the lower left hand corner of the figure. The pushout cam 33 pushes the needle radially outward after it leaves the knitting point until it reaches the selecting point shown in Fig. 6. At this point the sliding butt 26 passes under a selecting member or hammer 36 which will depress the sliding butts of selected needles in accordance with the pattern requirements. If the sliding butt is depressed it assumes the solid line position shown in Fig. 6; if it is not depressed it remains in the dotted line position in that figure. The pushout cam 33 continues to naed by the numeral 32 and preceding the secpush the needle radially outward by contacting the low butt 23 untilthe needle assumes the tuck position shown in Fig. 7. One purpose of pushing the needles out to this .position at this point is to assist in holding the fabric down on the cylinder needles 84 which are beginning to rise on cam 85 (Fig. 11). There is a cam 35 lying radially outside the butt, as shown .in Fig. 15, and shortly after reaching the position of Fig. 7 this cam 35 pushes all needles inward to a point where they will miss the yarn. The needles with elevated butts are at once .brought out to the clearing point by a cam 31. After this point they take the yarn. The cam 31, however, is undercut and does not push-out the butt-depressed needles. They make float stitches. All the needles are then drawn down at the knitting point by cam 3| of feed I and the needles with elevated butts knit while those with depressed butts make float stitches. The same sequence of operation occurs at feeds 3 and 3. Entering feed 4, as the needles leave the stitch cam 3| of feed 3 they are raised or pushed radially outward by pushout cam 33 of feed 6. Instead of cam 35, there is a cam 38 which has no overhanging portion to push needles radially inward, so that all the needles take yarn, are cleared by the cam 33 and knit at the knitting cam 3i of the fourth feed. The entire series of operations is repeated at feeds 5, t, l and 8.

The sliding butts, after being depressed, must again be elevated automatically as above mentioned, before reselection can take place between the fourthand fifth feeds. Therefore the clearing cam 32. at feed t moves the needles out still further than the clearing cams 3i at feeds l, 2 and 3. This causes the sliding butts to rise up the bevel 3B and assume the position shown in Fig. 10.

If it is desired to substitute tuck stitches for the float stitches, the cam arrangement is that shown in Fig. 13. The knitting cams 3i and the pushout cam 33 are unchanged, but there is a new push-in or guard cam 39 and a new clearing cam 40 to take the. place of the clearing cam 31 at feeds 5, 2 and 3, and a clearing cam M of a different shape at feed d. The only undercut cams are the clearing cams 40 at feeds l, 2 and 3, all needles being treated alike by all the other cams. With this construction all the needles are pushed out by the regular push-out cam 33 to a tuck position andv are held in approximately this position by the guard cam 39. All take yarn. The needles wliose sliding butts were not depressed will thereafter be cleared by the clearing cam 40, but those needles whose sliding butts were depressed will pass through the undercut 42 of the cam Ml and will not be cleared. The needles with depressed sliding butts therefore will tuck at the knitting point on feed .I. The

' other needles will knit. The same sequence of operations occurs at feeds 2 and 3. At the fourth feed all needles are cleared and knit. As in the case of the float and plain patterns, feeds 5 to 8 i a reciprocatory movement over a rack wheel 52 are a repetition of feeds l to 4'.

We next come to the tuck and float pattern shown in Fig. 12. In the construction shown in this drawing, means are shown for changing the knitting at feeds l, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 'I to plain stitches (the knitting at feeds 4 and 8 always plain stitches). However, I will first describe the cam arrangements which make it possible to make tuck and float patterns at feeds l, 2 and '3. The knitting cams 3| and the regular pushout cams 33 of the constructions of Figs. 13

and-15 are retained in the tuck and float setup of Fig. 12, but a new push-in cam 35' and a new clearing cam 43 are provided at each of feeds l, 2 and 3. The push-in cam 35' has a point adapted to push needles inward after they ride oil the push-out cam 33, this point being undercut at 36 so that only those needles whose sliding butts are up will be pushed in. The needles whose butts are depressed will pass through the undercut to take the yarn but they tuck rather than knit when they reach the next hitting cam 3|. The needles with elevated butts that are pushed in, as above-mentioned, do not take yarn and therefore make float stitch ateach of feeds I, 2 and 3. At feed 4, instead of the push-in cam 35' there is a guard cam 38 which holds all the needles at the tuck position and there is a special clearing cam 44 which pushes all needles out to take yarn and clear at this feed, the needles being pushed out to the position of Fig.

10, as in both constructions above described.

The clearing cams 33 at feeds 8, 2 and 3 are each pivoted at a point t5 and when swung in a clockwise direction about this pivot they move out to clearing position though not far enough to cause any depressed sliding butts to be cammed upwardly, as shown in Fig. 10 but rather to the extent shown by the dotted needle in Fig. M. This movement of the clearing cams 43 is obtained from an oscillating control .ring ll lying on the dial cap just inside the needles, each of the clearing cams 4'53 at feeds 5, Hand 3 being pivotally connected to the ring so that its oscillation moves them from one position to the other. Movement in the direction of the clockwise arrow on the ring in Fig. 12 brings these cams to guard position where tuck and float stitches are made, and movement in a counterclockwise direction brings them out to their clearing position where plain stitches are made at all feeds. out the correlation of the dial and cylinder needle movements, the knocking-over point 36 of the cylinder needles and the knocking-over point M of the dial needles have been marked in Fig. 12 at the third feed. It is interesting to note that in the tuck and plain pattern and in the float and plain pattern the needles with depressed sliding butts remain radially inward when passing under the undercut cams relatively to the needles whose sliding butts are raised; whereas in the case of the tuck and float patterns thev needles with depressed butts remain out relatively to the needles with raised butts. All the plain stitches at feeds l, 2 and 3 are made by non-depressed needles.

The operation of the control ring M is caused by a pattern chain as racked ahead by a pawl 33 operated from a lug on a ring (not shown) revolving with the needle cylinder. Specifically relferring to Figs. 2 and 4, there is a bell crank lever 50 mounted on the frame 5! of the machine and given a rocking movement periodically by the lug on the revolving ring. On the upper end of this bell crank lever 50 is the pawl 49 having (Fig. 2). The rack wheel is coaxial and revolv- To bring ing with a sprocket wheel 53 carrying the pat- .tuck stitches on all needles.

dial cap. The other arm of the small bell crank straddles the upper end of a. pin 6| carried by the control ring 41 and extending upwardly through the dial cap 60. The parts are shown in their guarding or non-clearing position in Figs. 2 and 4, as well as in Fig. 12. The arrows in Fig. 4 indicate the direction of movement of the parts when going to clearingposition, the dotted position of the needle cam 43 being in idle or guard position, and the dot-and-dash outline showing the cam in its clearing position. Any other suitable form of pattern control can be employed for actuating this ring at the properly timed intervals.

Any suitable form of selecting the sliding butt 26 can be employed. In the drawings I have shown two forms. In Figs..1 and 5 is shown a form of electro-mechanical selection of the general type shown in the Albert E. Page application Serial No. 137,106, filed April 15, 1937. In Figs. 16 and 17 is shown a trick wheel construction for selecting the butts. Another type of device which would be suitable for this work is an endless paper or metal sheet with holes punched therein which could be passed over the butts and thus push down those where there were no perforations. I will describe in general terms the electro-mechanical mechanism shown diagrammatically in Figs. 1 and 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the selecting element which acts directly on the high butt 26 of the needles is a pivoted hammer 34 carried by a frame which is mounted non-revolubly on the collar carrying the dial cap 60. This frame 62 can be of metal and one part of it can be used as a core for an electro-magnet 63. of the pivoted hammer 34 and when energized this coil will attract the back end of the hammer and cause the high butt below the other end of the hammer to be depressed. A tension spring 64 tends to keep the hammer in its upper position where the butts of the needles are not acted on.

Electric impulses properly synchronized with the revolutions of the needle cylinder. to select any desired needles by pressing down their high butts, are obtained from a vertical drum 65 above the needle cylinder, co-axial therewith and revolving in unison with it. This drum bears on its periphery a pattern 66 which can, if desired, be colored so as to create selective impulses in photo-electric cells as beams of light reflected from the pattern surface enter such cells. These cells are indicated in Fig. 1 by the numeral 61. They are circumferentially stationary but move vertically on posts 18 to read the pattern in a spiral corresponding to the individual needles and the stitches in the resulting fabric. Mechanism can be provided to cause each of these cells to reverse its direction at the end of travel,thus reading the pattern first in one direction and then in the other. (Inthe drawings I have shown .two photo-electric cells, one to act on the high butts of the needles just prior to the first feed,

' and the other to act on the butts just prior to the fifth feed.) In Fig. 1 I have indicated a This electro-magnet is close to the back endv suitable driving and reversing mechanism for the vertical movements of the cells. This is operated from a large gear ring 68 mounted on and revolving with the shaft carrying the needle cylinder but located above the bracket supporting the cylinder and the dial cam ring. A train of gears 69, 10, H and 12 transmits its movements to reversible bevelled driving gears 13, 14, I5, the clutch element 16 of such reversible gearing being initially actuated in a vertical direction to start the reversing operation by the arrival of the cell at the end of its travel. The vertical travel of the cells is caused by screw threads 1'! on the vertical rods 78 carrying these cells.

The trick Wheel construction for selecting the needle butts is shown in Figs. 16 and 17. As shown in these two figures, both the low butts 23 and the sliding high butts 26 of the needles project above the dial 24. Advantage of this fact is taken by using a trick wheel 19 mounted on a horizontal axle 80 revolving just above the high butts. There are fiat teeth 8| on the periphery of the trick wheel. Wherever there is a tooth on this trick wheel 19 the high butt will be depressed to a position flush with the low or fixed butt 23. Wherever such tooth is cut out, a high butt will remain in its uppermost position, shown for instance in Fig. 16. For the purpose of turning this trick wheel in timed relation with the needles, there is a gear wheel 82 mounted beside the trick wheel and having teeth 83 around its periphery which are slightly longer than those on the trick wheel. The teeth on the gear wheel are offset with relation to the trick wheel teeth so that they will overlap and intermesh with the low butts 23 of the needles and the passing of the needles will cause the gear wheel to turn. The trick wheel is turned with its teeth in register with'the high butts rather than the spaces between the needles.

The construction of the machine having been described, its operation will now be set forth. Assuming that it is desired to make tuck and float stitch at feeds I, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 1 by use of the mechanism in Figs. 11 and 12, and getting the selection from the electro-mechanical means of Figs. 1 and 5, the operation is as follows. Whereever in the pattern it is desired that a tuck stitch be made at feeds l, 2 and 3, the pattern 67 is so colored as to cause the photo-electric cell to transmit an electric impulse to the electro-magnet 63, thereby causing the hammer or selecting element 34 to push down the sliding high butt 26 of the needle corresponding to that point in the pattern. This depression takes place at the bottom of- Fig. 12 where the lower end of the hammer 34 is indicated in cross-section. The position of the dial and cylinder needles at this momentof selection is shown at Fig. 6. It will be noted that the upper end of the sliding butt of the dial needle is now flush with the top of the fixed low butt 23. The lower end of each sliding butt rests in its groove 26 in the dial 24. The pushout cam 33 moves the dial needle radially outward to tuck position, which is the position shown in Fig. 7 and at line 'l-'! of Fig. 12. I

It will be noted that this pushout cam, in causing this movement, is in contact with the low fixed butt 23 and that therefore all the needles are brought out to this tuck position. The continued revolution of the dial brings the needles opposite the guard cam 35 which is undercut at 36, at such a level as to permit the needles whose high butts have been depressed to pass under the cut 36, but the needles whose butts are still raised are forced radially inward to the dotted position shown in Fig. 8 and the line 88 of Fig. 12. In the meantime, after the dial needles reached the position of Fig. 7 the cylinder needles rose up their clearing cam 85 and the dial needles acted to hold the fabric down to assist in clearing the latches of the cylinder needles. The needles with butts depressed, after they pass the undercut 36, take the yarn at feed I, but the needles with butts not depressed are pushed in radially to miss the yarn. Theselatter needles travel along on swivel cam 43 and the next pushout cam 33 at the knocking-over point without coming out again or taking any yarn. In the meantime the tuck needles with butts depressed have'gone into contact with knitting cam 3| at the first feed and are drawn in, but since the latch was not cleared the needle does not knit. The action of the needles at feeds 2 and 3 is identical with that at feed i. J

At feed d, after all the needles have been pushed out by cam "33 they are all allowed to stay out at the tucking position by cam 38 which replaces cam 35, and all the needles take yarn. Instead of the swivel cam 43 at this feed there is a clearing cam M which clears all the needles by engagement with their low butts 23, thus pushing the needles radially outward to the position shown in Fig. 10. It will be noted that by pushing these needles out to theclearing position shown in Fig. 10, the lower end of the sliding butt contacts the outer end 3% of the groove 2% and the sliding butt is thereby cammed upwardly into position for reselection. There is no frictional jamming of the needles by this resetting of the sliding butt because the clearing cam M is acting on the fixed or lower butt while the edge 30 of the groove 29 is acting on the sliding butt only, and should a butt be only partly depressed there will be no jamming. The sequence of operatigns at feeds 5 to t is the same as at feeds i to When it is desired to knit plain stitches at feeds 0, 21 and 3 and feeds 5, t and I, the pawl 9 turns the rack wheel 52 and the sprocket wheel 53 until the finger 54 drops oh the lug at on the pattern chain 48 and the large bell crank lever 55 actuates the small bell crank Gil and moves the control ring at in a counter-clockwise direction, as appears in Fig. 12. Thiscauses the three swivel cams 43 to assume their clearing positions. It will be noted by comparison of Figs. 10 and 14 (Fig. 14 showing the clearing position of the swivel cams 43) that the dial needles are not pushed as far out at feeds I, 2 and 3 as they are at feed 4 although the needles are cleared at all four feeds. It is necessary to difierentiate in the extent to which the needles are pushed out in order that the sliding butts may not be reset until. feed E is reached. Turning now to Fig. 13, where the machine is going to make tuck and plain stitches at feeds i, 2 and 3, and plain stitches only at feed 4, the selection of needles by depressing butts takes place in the same manner as in the case of Fig. 12, but the outer cam 39 does not push the nondepressed butt needles radially inward after they reach the tucking position and all .the needles take yarn. The clearing cam 40 which is undercut as shown at Fig. 14, leaves the depressed butt needles at tuck position but pushes out to clear position the needles whose butts have not been depressed. Thereafter the knitting cam 31 operates on all the needles and the needles which have not been cleared make tuck stitches while the needles whose butts have not been depressed knit plain stitches. At feeds 2 and 3 the operation is the same as at feed i. At feed 4, instead of the clearing cam 4| being undercut, it is solid and all the needles are pushed out to clear position and knit plain stitches.

Referring now to Fig. 15, where float and plain stitches are knit at feeds I, 2 and 3, all the needles are pushed out to tuck position to hold the fabric down for the cylinder needles but then are pushed in by cam 35'to float position. This occurs before the needles can take yarn. The needles whose butts have not been depressed are then pushed radially outward to the clearing position by a cam 31 to clear, take yarn and thereafter knit at the knitting cam 3i, as usual. The depressed butt needles make float stitches. The operation is, the same at feeds 2 and 3.

At feed d the outer cam 3d does not push any needles radially inward, all needles take yarn, are

cleared by the solid clearing cam 32 with resetting of their sliding butts, and all needles knit at the knitting cam 3i. I

It will be noted that there is no tipping of the shank of the needles which would aflect the stitch-making ability of the elements. The jacks or separate knitting instrumentalities forwhich poses, there being a groove in the bed whereby the butt can project below the shank in certain longitudinal positions of the needle but is cammed upwardly whenmoved to certain other positions and thereby caused to project above the rest of the needle.

2. A knitting machine having a needle bed and a plurality of independent needles therein having hooks and shanks, one or more of said needles having a butt slidable with relation to the sha of the needle in the plane of the hook of its needle and of sufficient size to project above or below the rest of the needle for selecting purposes, there being a groove in the bed whereby the butt can project below the shank in certain longitudinal positions of the needle but is cammed upwardly when moved to certain other positions and thereby caused to project above the rest of the needle,. in combination with selecting means associated with the bed adapted to push selectively on said butts in the planes of the hooks of the needles. a

3. A knitting machine having a needle bed and a plurality of independent needles therein having hooksand shanks, a plurality or said needles each having a butt on the shank slidable with relation to the shank in the plane of the hook and adapted to project ei her above or below the rest of its. needle for selec ing purposes, there being a groove in the bed whereby a butt that projects below the shank will be cammed up and project above the rest of the needle when the latter is moved to extreme clearing position.

4. A knitting machine having a needle bed, a plurality of independent needles therein having hooks, shanks and fixed operating butts, and cams above said needles. for giving them longitudinal operating movements' in combination with a butt on each of a plurality of said needles slidable with relation to the shank of the needle in the plane of the hook of the needle and of sufficient size to project above or below the rest of the needle for selecting purposes, there being a groove in the bed whereby the butt can project below the shank in certain longitudinal positions of the needle but is cammed upwardly when moved to certain other positions and thereby caused to project above the rest of the needle.

5. A knitting machine having a needle bed, a plurality of independent needles therein having hooks, shanks and fixed operating butts, and cams above said needles for giving them longitudinal operating movements, in combination with a frictioned butt on each of said needles slidable with relation to the shank in the plane of the hook and adapted to project either above or below the rest of the needle for selecting purposes, there being a depression in the bed whereby a butt that projects below the shank will be cammed up and project above the rest of the needle when the latter is moved to clearing position.

6. A knitting machine having a needle bed,a plurality of independent needles therein having hooks, shanks and fixed operating butts, in combination with a butt inside said fixed butt on each of a plurality of needles adapted to slide with relation'to the shank and to project beyond the fixed butt in the plane of the hook or to be buried therein, means above the needle bed to select sliding butts by depressing those not wanted to the level of the fixed butts, and cam paths to give the needles diiferent manipulations according to whether they present a high or a low butt.

'7. A knitting machine having a needle support, a plurality of independent needles therein having hooks, shanks and fixed operating butts, and a frictioned member passing through the shank of each of a plurality of needles in the planes of the hooks of the needles and adapted to project above or below the rest of the needle as a selecting butt, there being a groove in the needle support whereby the butt can be left flush with the fixed butt on one side of the shank while the needle is in certain longitudinal positions but will be cammed up when the needle moves out to extreme clear position, in combination with a cam path adapted to act on the fixed butts and additional cam surfaces adapted to give special movements .to needles whosesliding butts project above the fixed butts, and means to select the sliding butts.

8. A knitting machine having a dial, a plurality of independent needles therein having hooks, shanks and fixed operating butts, and a frictioned member passing through the fixed butt 01' each of a plurality of needles in the planes of the hooks of the needles and adapted to project above the fixed butt or below the shank as a selecting butt, in combination with means to select from among the sliding butts by depression till approximately flush with the fixed butts and projecting below the shanks, a cam path to act on the low butts and supplemental cams to act on sliding butts projecting thereabove, the dial having a groove therein to permit said sliding butts to project below the shanks in certain needle positions but to cam them up upon moving to certain other positions,

' ALBERT E. PAGE. 

